


Bioluminescence

by Saesama



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Bioluminescence, Caves, Exploration, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 06:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6067858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saesama/pseuds/Saesama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>What if in the Dark Forest..the very darkest parts, there are strange fey creatures that have  bioluminescence, living in the darkness of the forest, in caves, the dark waters that run through the forest.. - EndoratheWitchWriter</i>
</p>
<p>(Bog shows Marianne one of the hidden wonders of his realm)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bioluminescence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EndoratheWitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/gifts).



Bog’s voice is a harsh scrape of hushed tones, _no lights, no sounds, don’t touch any of them,_ as he wraps a thick leaf around the tiny bit of glowing mushroom.

Marianne knows what to do, what to expect, Bog drilled it into her head, relentless, _it’s one of the most beautiful things you will ever see, I swear to you, but you must do exactly as I say,_ without ever telling her what she was looking for. They had flown through the cave for hours, circling ever deeper into the earth, pausing a few times to let the ache in their wings subside. Then the walls had grown close and forced them to their feet and Bog stashes their light and his staff in a crevice and takes Marianne’s hand.

Another hour of walking, of weirdly smooth stone underfoot, and Bog squeezes her hand, an agreed-upon signal, _muffle even your breath if you can_ , and Marianne breathes as shallow as she can manage. The floor slopes, too steep, and Bog’s wings send a sharp puff of air past her cheeks as he rises, his arm around her to draw her with him, nice and slow and relying more on his own innate magics than his wings to drift into the air. The little puff of air ripples something, just below their feet, darkness within darkness and a faint noise of rippling water.

The ripples spread, visual as well as audible, so faint Marianne thinks her eyes are playing tricks on her in the absolute black. Another flap, stronger this time, and the water ripples again, heavier, strangely thick. This time, Marianne can see concentric circles of light within the tiny waves, a rainbow of pinpricks, as if they’d somehow inverted the world and climbed down towards the stars. The pinpricks flow out, spread, highlight something longer than Bog is tall. It rolls with the wave and light spasms up its length, a tiny lightning bolt that spreads along many branches and spines. For a moment she can see it’s shape, something like a caterpillar and a worm and nothing like either, too flat and far too long and it flips over and disappears deeper into the void below.

Something else rises, drawn by the rings of faint light. In the sun, she’s sure she would see nothing but the dull hide of whatever the creature is, but in the darkness, it glows like a beacon, brilliant bands of color in strange form, shaped like no living thing she has ever seen. It seems to dance in the waters, stirring up more waves of starlight, and this, she thinks, is where sprites must come from, fashioned out of these alien stars trapped beneath the earth. She watches, Bog’s heartbeat strong and sure against her back, as more strange forms rise and sink in the depths, things she can barely grasp the shape of and lit with colors she has no words for and moving with a grace that makes her want to weep.

Then something else approaches, something huge and she can see a harsher light behind the shadow of many fangs, a lure into a terrible trap and rising fast. Bog darts back, unmindful now of any noise he might make, and Marianne looks back in time to see the monster breach the water, its horrid body limned in the starlight pinpricks and one of the banded creatures caught in its fangs. It sinks fast, leaving only the starlight behind, and water splashes against Marianne’s arm.

The tunnel is too narrow for Bog to fly far and he sets her down and takes her hand again. Marianne tugs him in for a hug, her face pressed to his chest and she doesn’t know if he thinks her scared but he folds his arms around her, his claws pricking through her tunic. She’s not scared, she’s not, but she needs a moment before they head back to the light and she remembers how to see.

It’s not until hours later, when they emerge into the misty morning light, that Marianne discovers the tiny dull spots flecked up her arm. She rubs her arm and comes away with a palm covered in what might be dust, but she cups her hands over her eye and watches the tiny specks of rainbow light return.


End file.
